Howard co-sponsors bill to address juvenile car thefts

Proposal would also require DCF to provide support services

Freshman state Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington, has co-sponsored a bill in the current session of the General Assembly that would transfer to adult court the cases of juveniles who continue to steal cars.

In addition, House Bill 5473, which is now before the Judiciary Committee, also would require the state Department of Children and Families to provide support services and education opportunities for the juvenile offenders.

Howard, a veteran Stonington police detective who is a member of the Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday that the incidents of 16- and 17- year-old teenagers stealing cars across the state are becoming an increasing problem. He said some of those cars are then used in drive-by shootings, robberies and other crimes.

But Howard said if these chronic offenders are apprehended, their cases are handled in the juvenile court system where they are often placed in diversionary programs. But he said there are no consequences if they do not comply with the requirements of these programs and they often return to stealing cars or committing other crimes. And then when they turn 18 and commit a crime, they suddenly face prison sentences and criminal records because they are now in the adult system.

“If you get picked up by the police and nothing happens to you, you are not deterred,” he said. “They have to understand accountability.”

Howard said the bill would create consequences for juveniles who fail to comply with requirements of probationary programs. This, he said, would persuade some of them to comply with the programs, breaking the cycle they are in now of committing crimes, and put them on the right path.

“The goal is to get them the help they need and get them into programs that can help them,” he said. “That’s how you break the cycle.”

And by creating accountability, Howard said, fewer people will become victims of car theft.

The language of the bill, which was introduced by six Republican representatives, calls for automatically transferring to the regular court docket — adult court — the case of any juvenile charged with second- or third-degree larceny involving a motor vehicle or criminal attempt to commit those crimes.

In addition, it modifies another section of existing law to transfer first-degree larceny cases, as well. Currently, state law prohibits a first-degree larceny case against anyone under 18 from being transferred to the adult docket unless a prosecutor requests it, a hearing is held and a judge makes several findings, including whether the best interests of the child would be served by keeping the case in juvenile court.

The bill also expands the circumstances in which a judge can order juveniles to be detained prior to a court hearing if they are arrested for stealing a motor vehicle or allows the judge to order a juvenile to wear a GPS monitoring device instead of detention.

It also would expand the state’s definition of “serious juvenile repeat offender” to include a juvenile who has previously been found to have committed misdemeanor larceny offenses involving motor vehicles. Currently, juveniles who have been arrested for a felony after having committed two previous felonies are classified as serious juvenile repeat offenders and their cases are transferred to adult court.